THE PERIODICAL CICADA ON CAPE COD
An insect unseen on Cape Cod since 1991 is returning in 2008. It is known as the periodical cicada, a bug that appears every 17 years. The history of this amazing insect can be traced back to 1634, when Plymouth colonists recorded the appearance of swarms of locusts, a reference to Biblical plagues.
However, the periodical cicada is not a locust (a type of grasshopper), but a member of the insect order Homoptera, which includes the aphids, scale, adelgids, mealybugs and whiteflies. Certain species of cicadas are periodical in nature and surface every thirteen or seventeen years. Depending upon when and where they appear, they are grouped as broods and this current (2008) brood is known as XIV.
Sometime in mid-May, hundreds, even thousands, of beige, shrimp-like nymphs will emerge from their underground lair, crawl to a tree trunk or other vertical object and begin a transformation, or metamorphosis, to their adult stage. The adult is a winged black and red insect about 1 inch long with clear, delicate wings. Both sexes of periodical cicadas fly, but only the males produce a whirring, piercing shriek that is as loud as a chainsaw!
Periodical cicada adults will be active for about a month, until late June. Mating occurs in treetops, and females lay eggs in the tips of trees and shrubs. Tiny ant-sized nymphs will hatch in August, drop to the ground, dig in to feed on roots, and the developmental process is repeated, with the next synchronous emergence on Cape Cod scheduled for 2025.
